“I learned to ride my bike in Flushing Meadows Park. That’s where my parents took me and my brother as kids. I feel that parks are sacred. They shouldn’t be privatized for profit gained,” Steven Mayano said.

Several informational meetings have been held in the neighborhoods around the park to explain the plans to Queens residents. The meetings have all had turnouts in the hundreds, with many young families voicing concerns over the park’s future.

The latest meeting was held in Jackson Heights by the Jackson Heights Green Alliance in an effort to mobilize residents against the proposed stadiums and mall.

“That park is the backyard for a heavily immigrant, low to moderate income, population,” Finn said.

The USTA said that tennis center expansion would only affect three-quarters of an acre, but the proposed soccer stadium could consume up to 13 acres, according to the Daily News.

While State Sen. Jose Peralta said that the soccer stadium would be an economic boon to Queens, advocacy groups insisted that the neighborhood does not have room to spare and that the proposed development would negatively affect the lives of residents.